LA CUEVA’S JIM CICCARELLO TO BE INDUCTED INTO NFHS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2025
The New Mexico Activities Association is proud to announce La Cueva High School track and field coach Jim Cicarello will be inducted into the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Ciccarello and the Class of 2025 will be honored at the 42nd induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame, which will be held at the 106th NFHS Summer Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
“I am so honored to have been recognized by the NFHS,” said Ciccarello. “I never dreamed of being accepted into a National Hall of Fame. My passion has always been to watch the kids excel in sport and fitness activities.”
“Coach Ciccarello’s dedication, passion, and impact on our community have set the standard of excellence that will inspire future generations,” said NMAA Executive Director Dusty Young. “His legacy embodies the values we hold dear, and we are honored to celebrate his remarkable contributions to the world of education-based athletics.”
There are two pretty distinct reasons for the growth and excellence of girls high school track programs in the greater Albuquerque area in New Mexico the past 50 years – the passage of Title IX in 1972 and the spirited coaching exploits of Jim Ciccarello.
When Albuquerque Manzano High School hired Ciccarello as its first girls track coach in 1976, he has already established himself for several years as the leader of the Albuquerque Track Club and the Duke City Dashers, which produced some of the top athletes in New Mexico. And it didn’t take long for the hiring of Ciccarello to pay dividends as he led the Monarchs to back-to-back New Mexico Activities Association Girls Track and Field State Championships in 1977 and 1978.
After four years at Manzano, Ciccarello accepted a similar position at Sandia High School, followed by another move to Highland High School. In 2000, Ciccarello moved to La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, where he has established one of the most successful girls track programs in the state and nation – and he is still going strong 25 years later at the age of 82. Ciccarello has led La Cueva to nine state titles, with the first in 2000 and the most recent in 2023. In addition to his 11 overall state championships (two at Manzano, nine at La Cueva), Ciccarello’s teams have finished second 12 other times and have claimed 20 district championships.
In addition to his teams’ success, he has coached more than 300 individual champions, and his athletes have combined for more than 20 New Mexico state records. Ciccarello was a teacher and educator in the Albuquerque Public Schools, primarily serving as a physical education teacher at the elementary school level, for more than 45 years before retiring. Between the students he has taught in his PE classes and the athletes he has coached, it is estimated that Ciccarello has impacted the lives of more than 65,000 kids.
Among his numerous honors, Ciccarello was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and the New Mexico High School Coaches Hall of Honor in 2014, and in 2012 he was selected NFHS National Girls Track and Field Coach of the Year – the same year he became a published author with his book, Coach, Coach, Look at Me! A Memoir of Teaching and Love. Many years ago, using his own money, Ciccarello created jump rope teams that have been performing and entertaining New Mexico crowds for years. His jump-roping kids have performed before 17,000 fans at the University of New Mexico basketball games, among many other venues.
Sally Marquez, who recently retired after a highly successful career as executive director of the New Mexico Activities Association, was a student-athlete at Manzano under Ciccarello’s tutelage. “He showed me what a coach and teacher can do in someone’s life to teach lifelong skills,” Marquez said. “He showed me that I could reach down deep inside and be the best version of myself. He pushed me to achieve, while staying humble and grateful. He raised me up to know that I could climb any mountain and stand tall on that mountain while helping others. He taught me how to be a leader.”
*Bruce Howard of the NFHS contributed to this release
